1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tire pressure monitoring device, more particularly to a tire pressure monitoring device for monitoring the condition inside a tire and having a simplified code learning process.
2. Description of Related Art
Related technologies and devices for confirming the relative position between the tire pressure monitor and the tire have been widely used in the prior arts. For example, the present inventor has filed a R.O.C. Patent Application No. 089117036 entitled xe2x80x9cMethod and Apparatus for Monitoring Inflated Tirexe2x80x9d on Aug. 22, 2000, now abandoned, discloses that such device having a sensor module installed in each of the inflated tires for sensing the conditions of the tires and after the conditions of the tires are coded, they are transmitted by radio frequency signals, and a decoder module comprising a radio frequency antenna module for receiving the radio frequency signals transmitted by the sensor module; a memory for recording the data for the conditions of the tires in a predetermined range and the monitoring data of the conditions of the tire; a processor for decoding the received radio signals and comparing the data in the memory to determine the application condition of the inflated tires; and a buzzer for monitoring the abnormal situation of pressure and temperature of the individual tire and identifying the individual tire to confirm the tire of which the abnormal situation has occurred.
However, when the prior art is performing coding confirmation within the decoder module and the sensor module in each of the inflated tires, the user has to release the air in each inflated tire of the motor vehicle, making use of the rapid change of the pressure in the tire to continually transmit signals by the sensor module inside the tire. After confirmed by the decoder module, it is confirmed that the relative position of the tire of which such sensor module is installed. Then, such tire has to be inflated again before the motor vehicle can be operated again. Obviously, such process is relatively time consuming, inconvenient, and complicated.
The present inventor has filed a Patent Application No. 090112305 entitled xe2x80x9cCode Learning Device of Tire Pressure Monitorxe2x80x9d on May 17, 2001, and has disclosed a code learning device of the tire pressure monitor and the handheld code learning device. However the foregoing code learning device needs additional device and operation before such code learning process can be accomplished. As to the driver, such code learning process is complicated and redundant, and the situation of changing tire does not occur that often, therefore the user probably forget how to operate the code learning process when it is needed.
Further, the U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,361 entitled xe2x80x9cTire Monitoring Systemxe2x80x9d issued to Robillard, et al on Jul. 10, 2001, has disclosed a system using the temperature and accelerator to respectively identify the front tire and the rear tire and confirm the position of tires. However, although the front tire is closer to the engine and is for driving the car, and thus has a higher temperature than that of the rear tire, such temperature difference are often affected by the external temperature so that correct result cannot be obtained.
Therefore, the foregoing code learning method is unable to provide a fast and effective code learning module for the tire monitor decoder module inside the motor vehicle to define the specific code for each inflated tire. It is necessary to provide a code learning method and apparatus to monitor the tire pressure that makes the code learning process for the tire pressure monitoring device simpler and faster.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide a tire monitoring device for monitoring the conditions of the tires, and such device can easily identify the tire position of the installed tire pressure monitoring device.
The secondary objective of the present invention is to provide a code learning method for the tire monitoring device to the user to confirm the tire position of the installed tire pressure monitoring device without going through the complicated operation.
In order to accomplish the aforementioned objective, the present invention provides a tire monitoring device being installed to a motor vehicle having a plurality of tires, and comprising: a plurality of sensor modules being installed onto the tire and having a wireless communication signal transmitter for transmitting a radio frequency (RF) signal, and such RF signal further comprising a status of the tire and a specific code of the sensor module; a plurality of antenna modules, each being installed to almost each of the plurality of the sensor modules for receiving such RF signal; and a receiving device, electrically coupled to the antenna module for processing such RF signal.
According to another viewpoint of the tire monitoring device of the present invention, the receiving device further comprises: an electronic switch module for selectively connecting to the plurality of antenna modules; a RF receiver connected to the electronic switch module for dividing the RF signal of such antenna module into a data signal and an amplitude signal; a central processing unit coupled to the RF receiver for controlling the electronic switch module; and a monitor.
The present invention also provides a tire pressure monitoring device and its code learning method, comprising the steps of: providing a plurality of sensor modules, being installed to a plurality of tires in a motor vehicle, each having a wireless signal transmitter for sending a signal, and such signal further comprising a specific code for the conditions of the tire and a specific code for the sensor module; a plurality of antenna modules, each being installed individually to each of the sensor modules.
Since the tire monitoring device of the present invention does not need complicated code learning process to identify the RF signal transmitted from each tire, therefore users can easily complete the code learning operation after replacing the tire.
To make it easier for our examiner to understand the aforementioned and other objectives, innovative features, and advantages of the present invention, we use a preferred embodiment together with the attached drawings for the detailed description of the invention.